USA: Biden hoax caller freed on bail

A political consultant who sent robocalls generated by artificial intelligence that imitated the voice of the US president Joe Biden He made his first court appearance in New Hampshire, where he is accused of voter suppression and impersonation of a candidate ahead of the state’s first presidential primary.

Steven Kramerwhich also faces a proposed US$6 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has admitted to orchestrating a message that was sent to thousands of voters two days before the January 23 primary. The message reproduced an artificial intelligence-generated voice similar to that of the Democratic president who used his phrase “What a load of nonsense!” and falsely suggested that voting in the primary would prevent voters from voting in November.

Kramer was charged last month with 13 serious crimes for violating a New Hampshire law that prohibits attempting to dissuade someone from voting by using misleading information. It also faces 13 misdemeanor charges who accuse him of falsely presenting himself as a candidate due to his own conduct or that of another person.

The charges were filed in four counties and are being prosecuted by the state attorney’s office.

At Kramer’s appearance in Belknap County, Deputy Attorney General Brendan O’Donnell He successfully argued that Kramer must post $10,000 cash bail. He argued that the amount was necessary to ensure Kramer’s return to court given that he travels frequently and has homes in several states.

Kramer’s lawyer, Tom Reid, He argued for a personal recognizance bond. He said Kramer has a long history of appearing in statutory proceedings and has never missed a court date.

“Just because you travel a lot doesn’t make someone prone to running away,” he said.

Kramer declined to comment after leaving court. His attorney said he is “enjoying the presumption of innocence.”

“Obviously right now we’re enjoying the presumption of innocence, we’re going to review all the different charges and engage in conversations with the prosecution,” Reid said.

Kramerowner of a company specializing in voter recruitment projects, told The Associated Press in February that he was not trying to influence the outcome of the primary elections, but rather wanted to raise a warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence when he paid a New Orleans magician $150 to create the recording.

“I may be a villain today, but I think in the end we got a better country and a better democracy because of what I have deliberately done,” Kramer said in February.

Voter suppression carries a prison sentence of between three and a half years and seven years in prison. Impersonating a candidate is punishable by up to one year in prison.

Since the New Hampshire robocalls, the FCC has taken steps to combat the growing use of artificial intelligence tools in political communications. In February, he confirmed that the AI voice cloning tools in robocalls are prohibited by current law, and presented a proposal to require political advertisers to report when they use content generated by artificial intelligence in radio and television ads.

If approved, the new rules will add a layer of transparency that many lawmakers and AI experts have been calling for as generative AI tools produce realistic images, videos and audio clips that threaten to mislead voters in upcoming elections. Americans.

The charges against Kramer were announced the same day the FCC proposed his fine, along with a $2 million fine against Lingo Telecom, the company accused of transmitting the calls. The proposed fines were the agency’s first related to generative AI technology, but Lingo Telecom strongly disagreed with the FCC’s action, calling it an attempt to impose new rules retroactively.